It is increasingly common to incorporate locationing services and location-aware applications within mobile devices, particularly “smart-phones,” PDAs, netbooks, and the like. Accordingly, it is not unusual for the user of a mobile device to interact with an external network host or server that requests information regarding the geographical location of the user. In such a case, a “locationing session” is typically established in which the mobile device periodically sends location data (determined, for example, via GPS satellites or WiFi signals) to the external server. This locationing session can last for a significant length of time, and may be based on a specified period, on proximity, or on geo-fencing limits (i.e., presence within a specified geometric area). One popular method of providing such location information is through the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) protocol developed by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
SUPL and other such locationing protocols are, however, undesirable in a number of respects. For example, in currently known SUPL systems, the user is typically only notified that his location is being tracked at the time that the locationing session is actually established. At that time, the user is generally also given the option to validate the session. Thereafter, however, the session might continue without notice to the user for an extended period of time, during which the user may forget that the session is active. In addition to raising privacy concerns, the prolonged and perhaps unwanted provision of locationing services can present a significant drain on power resources.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved control over networked locationing sessions. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.